Mythological Creatures are Real
by AliceRoseanna
Summary: This is just something I created out of boredom and had the idea for. It is a Marco and Fem!Ace story of course, her name isn't Anne like most would call her, but Annabell. A story of a young Annabell listening to a fairytale Garp tells her every night, growing up and wanting to prove that it's not just a fairytale. Of course, she will find more than she bargained for.
1. Chapter 1

"Now, Annabell, if I read you this story, do you promise to go to bed?" An middle aged Marine man questioned softly.

"Yes, Grandpa, I promise!" a small child said excitedly.

"All right, well settle down and let me start." he chuckled.

So the story begins with a little girl listening to her grandfather tell her a fairytale of mythological creatures.

A secret forest hidden by silver mist on the highest mountain top of the Grand Line mountains had never been touched by humans. In this luscious green forest lived many magical creatures such as: phoenix, centaurs, satyrs, dragons, elves, doppelgangers, golems, griffons, hydras, mermaids, pegasi, shapeshifters, unicorns, werewolves, and thunderbirds all coincided. It was only possible from the lone giant by the name of Whitebeard. Many humans had tried to find the magical lands on top of the mountain, but most froze to death. Some had survived the treacherous cold to tell people that they had seen a blue and gold light. The next they knew, they were at the foot of the mountain again.

One man by the name of Blackbeard had supposedly succeeded in getting to the top of the mountain where the magical land was said to be. He had brought back a bird of paradise he claimed to be a shapeshifter by the name of Thatch. No one in the village took him seriously though. Soon, the bird of paradise had returned to its home, never to be seen or heard of again. Everyone in the village thought Blackbeard had killed the beautiful bird and he was exiled from the lands. Many people try to find the forest still to this day. If only they would give up and stop looking, then maybe many people would not die. Of course, no one knew that all of the creatures had a human form either. No one knows if they even come down from the mountains or if it's all just in a dream that someone made into a story for little girls and boys to listen to at bedtime.

Before Garp had a chance to tell his granddaughter goodnight, she had already fallen asleep. He smiled and kissed her forehead and let her sleep. He'd send her up the first part of the mountain for fruit in the morning. Little did he know, that the years would fly by so quickly. The little ten year old he had told bedtime stories was now one of the most beautiful and sought after women in the small village they lived in. She was twenty and would not marry until she had proven to herself that the secret forest actually existed.

"Grandpa! I'm going to go explore the Grand Line mountains! I'll see you in a month!" Annabell had called out and left after she had given her brothers and grandfather a hug and a kiss.

"Annabell, I wish you'd give up that dream of finding your childhood fairy tale and just marry or join the marines!" Garp grumbled.

Annabell left, laughing. Once she was at the foot of the mountain, she took a deep breath and stared up at the top. "I'm coming to find you, secret forest. I'll prove to myself that you exist and then take pictures and show everyone that you aren't just some fairy tale." the ravenette was dead serious about finding her childhood. So her journey began.

The young woman traveled for a week, sleeping in trees and finding a suitable freshwater creek to get water out of. It wasn't like this was any different from the time she and her brothers were made to live on their own in a forest. Sabo, Luffy, and Ann used to have to fight off wild animals just to have fresh meat to cook. Of course, their food supply always vanished within a few hours thanks to Luffy's more than ravenous appetite. It had been fun and tiring for the three siblings to live on the mountain, but soon, their grandfather had hunted them down and brought them home. Of course, Garp didn't just leave the mountain with them without a fight. The kids had grown up well and had learned excellent survival skills, but they were still no match for the old man. Anna found herself just thinking about how she was going to miss all of them this month.

The next week she'd made it pretty far and could finally see hints of a silver mist, but it was getting really cold. Annabell gathered only branches from dead trees or branches that had already fallen off the trees to make a fire with. She was a master at keeping a fire under control. At night, she wrapped up in her warmest blanket and slept in a tree again. The only thing she thought she saw was the blue and gold light that people had seen when they had nothing left and were brought to the foot of the mountain. For now, she hadn't thought much of it, after all, it could probably only be her imagination. When she woke, she uncurled herself from her blanket to find a strange bird in front of her. A white, brown, and black bird, resembling a bird of paradise. Could this be the bird Blackbeard had found by the name of Thatch?

"Thatch?" she tilted her head, hoping for a shocked response or some sort of transformation from the bird. Either way, if it wasn't the bird from the story, she wanted a picture of it. So, she slowly took out her camera from her pocket and went to snap a quick picture of it. The bird seemed startled by the name and took off immediately after he saw the camera. Annabell thought that it had been a normal bird after all, little did she know that she had been right about the bird being the mysterious shapeshifter.


	2. Chapter 2

Thatch couldn't say he wasn't shocked when he found a woman sleeping in one of Marco's favorite perching trees. He had wondered what was wrong when the phoenix had suddenly gone back home from their hunting trip. Though, what shocked him even more was that this strange female knew his name! He'd never seen her before, at least, not from what he could remember. Had he slept with her before? Nah, he would have remembered lying with a gorgeous face like hers. Though, when she pulled out a camera he realized that she wasn't someone he knew. So, he took off in order to keep himself from having his soul stolen away by the tiny black box.

Yes, Thatch had heard all the rumours about those evil little boxes that the humans called cameras. They were meant to steal one's soul and trap them in a flat square dimension. Such devilry that humans come up with! He didn't want his soul stolen, that was for sure. He was too handsome for such a thing because all the ladies loved him. Then again, he was a shapeshifter after all and he could take the most desirable forms for his beloved one night stands. The bird of paradise shivered with anticipation for when he got back home. He had another 'date' to prepare for, one with a lovely barmaid. He couldn't remember her name at the moment, but first, he needed to speak with Marco and Whitebeard about this human wandering around in their forest and why Marco had been so upset earlier.

~-Five hours earlier-~

"Marco! Come down from your tree, you damn turkey!" Izo had growled. The high elf was not very happy with what the phoenix had done to one of his favorite kimonos. "I swear, once I get my hands around that string thin neck of yours, I'll turn you into dinner! What is wrong with you and going and burning my favorite green kimono?! You're supposed to be the mature one!"

The phoenix would not answer and seemed to be brooding in his favorite napping tree. He didn't want to talk to anyone. Sure, he was supposed to be the mature one and look after everyone in the family. Though, Vista had gone to far this time! Just because everyone else had someone they could love and protect in the family and possibly start a family with didn't mean Marco would never have someone! It wasn't very fair that he was called a lonely pineapple just because of his hair either. Marco just hadn't found the person he connected with yet, that was all.

Of course, where Izo was, Thatch would soon follow. Of coursee, the pompadour loving chef of a shapeshifter was the only one who dared get near the Phoenix and call him nicknames during a time like this. So, Thatch thought maybe a good night hunt would do Marco some good.

"Hey, Mr. Birdbrain on his period! Let's go for a night hunt and get you calmed down!" The cook had grinned when he got chased by Marco. The phoenix never seemed to learn that he could just transform into something that was faster than him. Thatch took the form of a peregrine falcon and took off as quickly as he could. He escaped Marco's talons by a tail feather. This led to the chase outside of the protected mountain valley the dwelled within.

Once they were out of there, Marco seemed to lighten up and actually started to hunt with Thatch. The air outside of their hidden valley seemed fresher to the two birds. Soon, Thatch had decided to take one of his more colorful forms and let Marco do all the work. Marco had gone to take a break on one of his normal perching trees, only to discover a young woman in it. She'd fallen asleep, but he was sure she'd seen him! The blonde had been hypnotized by her chocolate eyes and freckled face. Then to see her adorable sleeping face, it sent shivers down Marco's spine causing the phoenix to ruffle his feathers a bit before he just suddenly took off towards home.

Thatch had been utterly confused when he saw Marco ruffle his feathers and then take off towards home. What had caused the phoenix to do that? The now greater bird of paradise was really curious, so he went and sat on the branch the right hand man had been perched on. When he saw Annabell he was more confused than he had been. A human was the cause of Marco taking off? Then again, what was a human doing on the mountain so close to their home?

The shapeshifter hadn't head home, even after finding Annabell. No, Thatch had kept his greater bird of paradise form and sat on the branch the woman was sleeping on, near her feet. Though, when she woke and actually said his name with curiosity and then showed the soul stealing box, that was his call to go home.

~-Present-~

"Marco! What is your big problem, ya turkey?" Thatch hissed as soon as he found the blonde male sitting on a rock near the huge lake the mermaids and mermen lived in.

"I don't have a problem." Marco had turned and looked at Thatch with a straight face, trying to not let his face heat up. The girl he had seen had set his heart off like he was trying to run for his life in a race against time. The flustered and frustrated phoenix needed to calm himself. He'd have to tell Whitebeard about her, she was endangering the safety and peacefulness of their home.

"Then why did you take off after seeing the woman? I've never seen you take off so quickly besides when you're trying to kill me for irritating you!" Thatch snickered.

Once Marco had a surprised look in his eyes and tried to avoid Thatch's questions about the girl, Thatch knew what was bothering the blue turkey.

"Eh? Marco, did you fall in love at first sight? That's interesting considering you're still a virgin!" Thatch fell over laughing. Though, he was hit in the head with a pebble.

"Shut up! At least I don't go around sleeping with every girl I see! Lay your hands on that girl and I'll skin you alive!" Marco threatened and stood. He needed to go report to Whitebeard and so did Thatch. So, he stuck his hands in the pockets of his loose blue pants and proceeded to walk off towards Whitebeard's so called bedroom.

The giant slept in a room made of trees he had basically pulled together and tied at the tops and on a bed the softest moss in the whole valley. Thatch had followed Marco into the room. Both of them sort of hoped that maybe Whitebeard would allow this human to find them. Both also hoped that maybe he'd have someone knock her out and take her back to the foot of the mountain. Both of them would be surprised when Curiel told them what he had found out, though.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note-**

I honestly have to thank you all for following and favoriting this. When I first actually made this a fanfic from just a simple roleplay starter, I didn't think anyone would actually read it and like it. I've been told so far I have fourteen followers? My alerts in my email don't show me everyone besides the newest people. It actually almost made me cry this morning before school, I'm going to try and get on my laptop at home to update these a little more frequent than just in school. So, look forward to more chapters and don't be afraid to leave reviews.

If you're wondering what I have set up for the family, here's a quick view of what they all are.

Marco- Phoenix

Thatch- Shapeshifter

Izo- High Elf

Vista- Centaur

Jozu- Golem

Namur- Merman

Rakyou- doppelganger

Kingdew- Dragon

Curiel- Werewolf

Blenheim- Thunderbird

Haruta- Unicorn

Fossa- Griffon

Blamenco- Satyr

Speed Jiru- Pegasus

Atmos- Hydra

Whitebeard- Giant

Also, if you guys absolutely love crack fanfiction, you should read Daryl's Day Off by Aergias. It's a really good crack story with six chapters so far. I'll get on her rear end to get more chapters out soon.

Marco wasn't surprised to see their werewolf brother in Pop's room. Yeah, everyone here called the giant Pops or just by his actual name. Whitebeard was a gentle giant for the most of it, but when someone decided to hurt one of the members in his family that was when the old man got very violent. As for the werewolf, his name was Curiel, he had some sort of obsession with watermelons, especially with wearing a watermelon hat on his head.

Thatch sat down in a chair and Marco did the same. Whitebeard raised an eyebrow at the two of them. Curiel had turned to look at them as well, a questioning look on his face. This aroused curiosity in Thatch and Marco, who shared a quick glance at one another. Curiel soon let out an irritated growl.

"Is this about the woman who has been re-scented closer to our territory?" Whitebeard soon asked Thatch and Marco.

"Yeah-" Thatch was about to respond normally when his eyes widened. "Wait, re-scented? What do you mean, this woman doesn't seem familiar!" Thatch threw his hands up. "I would have remembered a cute face like hers!" the shapeshifter huffed. Marco rolled his eyes and looked at Curiel expectantly.

Curiel growled. "You wouldn't remember her because you didn't see her as a child! She is dangerous. Especially if her brothers are here somewhere. That woman knows how to fight and kill."

Marco listened and sighed. "She doesn't seem dangerous so far. From what I remember, Curiel, you encountered her brothers when they were what, ten and seven years old? Then she showed up because you tried to hurt them and kicked your ass. You let a ten year old **/girl/** kick your ass in a fight **/AND/** hurt your pride."

Curiel growled. "Fine, I'll show you she's dangerous! Send Haruta out to confront her. Let's see if he comes back injured or unharmed. With our luck, we'll have to step in before that witch kills him!"

Marco rolled his eyes. "I'll send Haruta out and if things look like they are going south then I'll deal with the intruder myself."

Whitebeard had just been listening to his sons argue about the girl being in the forest. He started to laugh at this, he had caught on to why the phoenix didn't want the girl to disappear. "All right, my sons. Don't get our youngest severely injured. Unicorns are quite delicate creatures. Especially Haruta! Gurararararara!"

So, it had been settled. Haruta had set out in his true form and went to wander around until he found the girl. It hadn't been very long, honestly it had been about fifteen minutes since he set out to find her and was now staying out of sight and just following her. That was, until he got hungry and decided to graze in an open meadow.

Annabell had been wandering the mountains for quite sometime. She knew something was following her, but couldn't tell who or what it was. For now, she was just happy to be walking in the forest. It honestly felt like she was more at home here than back in the village. The raven haired woman just didn't know what she'd stumble upon next. The path she had been following had lead her to a meadow. There, she discovered what appeared to be a sleeping, white Arabian colt.

At first, the woman wanted to observe the sleeping equine, but soon discovered that he was no horse, it was a unicorn. Not wanting to disturb the creature with a camera or by making a sound, Annabell carefully picked her footing and left to go explore the mountain more. She'd return later to see if it was still there. The freckled woman was keeping a diary of her days in the forest it had almost been a month since she set off on her journey to find the fairy tale place. Ann did not regret coming up the mountain, though. Even if she hadn't found the hidden valley protected by a giant, she'd still seen a unicorn with her very own eyes and was still seeing how beautiful the mountain was. So, she continued on.


	4. Chapter 4

Haruta didn't mean to fall asleep. Now he had lost track of the girl. Shit. He needed to catch up to her, wherever she was. The unicorn panicked and started running around trying to find Annabell. Little did he know that the damn rabbits had dug another hole for him to get his back leg caught in, causing him to fall and a bone to break. Well, this wouldn't be the first time the unicorn had fucked up. He just hoped Marco would come for him, so for now, he turned back to his human form. That way, if someone found him, they wouldn't try to shoot him or put him out of his misery. Humans were strange about that.

Of course, when he broke his leg, it didn't mean that he had not cried out in pain. Annabell had heard it. Especially crying so she made it her goal to find whoever was in pain and bawling their eyes out and help them. When she came across the brunette, she immediately kneeled next to him and hugged him.

"Shh, shh. Calm down, crying only makes it hurt worse." she told him softly, hugging him before examining his broken leg. "At least the bone didn't go through the skin. I need you to hang tight and I'll fix it, ok?" she smiled at the boy. Once she received a nod from him, she went to find two pieces of wood that would make a perfect splint and some vines that would hold it together. Ann was so used to doing this since Luffy had usually got hurt so much when they lived out in the forest.

Haruta was in so much pain, but when she told him to quit crying, he tried so hard, but failed to. It scared him that Marco hadn't shown up to help him. Though, when he finally got a good look at the girl and felt her arms wrapped around him, he felt at ease. Haruta actually felt safe with the woman and just wanted her to stay by him, but he knew she had to leave him for a few minutes to help fix his legs. It did not mean he wasn't scared that something was going to get him.

It took about an hour for Ann to find the things she needed and get Haruta fixed up. Haruta seemed to be happy and had kind of clung to her once she got back. So, Annabell decided to give him a piggyback ride and tell him the fairy tale her grandfather always told her when she was little. Haruta listened, intrigued by the story, knowing that it was all true.

"Is that why you're here? Are you looking for the hidden valley hidden behind the waterfall?" Haruta also had a habit of letting things slip every now and then. When he realized what he said, he mentally slapped himself.

"It's behind a waterfall? Goodness, then this place must be more beautiful than what I first imagined." Annabell smiled. "Yes, I wanted to see this place with my own eyes. No one in the village will ever believe me it exists, but I'd like to see it with my own eyes because then their opinions would never matter." she said softly.

"Well, I guess I could show you where our home is. Marco should be happy to see you and so should Thatch. Well, as long as you don't try to take pictures of Thatch, he should be happy. Is it true that cameras steal souls?" Haruta asked, curious.

Annabell looked at him and started laughing. "No, cameras do not steal souls. Who told you that? Plus, how do you know Thatch and the way there? You're don't seem to be a mythical creature, you look like a perfectly normal boy to me."

Haruta giggled. "I know you saw the unicorn in the meadow! You won't find him anywhere but on your back! Now, take this path over to your left! The waterfall is that way. I can use some of my magic to clear up the fog! Everyone is going to be so excited to meet you!"

Little did they both know, Curiel, Thatch, and Marco were following them. Curiel about attacked Ann once Haruta started leading her towards the entrance to their home. Thatch and Marco easily pinned him and quieted him though. Their cover should not be blown at any cost and Curiel was going to get them killed.


	5. Chapter 5

Annabell was humming happily to keep Haruta calm and not so energetic. She hadn't known that the boy had so much energy and honestly, she wish he didn't. If he didn't calm down, then he'd make his broken leg worse. Haruta had scented the others and knew they were following, especially Curiel, the werewolf was not good at keeping down wind. Of course, Haruta had noticed the subtle change in Ann's attitude, she seemed more defensive now. He wondered if she could smell Curiel or could hear him.

Soon they came to the large Waterfall. Annabell didn't listen to Haruta immediately, she carefully set him down and took pictures of the waterfall and the sky. Ann showed Haruta the pictures, explaining to him that camera's did not steal souls and that if they did, the waterfall would no longer be there or running. Of course, Haruta took the camera from her and asked how it was used and once Annabell showed him how, he began taking pictures of her and everything around them. Ann giggled and let him do as he pleased, watching him play with the camera was interesting.

Thatch ruffled his feathers in a pout. The shapeshifter was actually jealous of the unicorn. Not only did the horse get all of the woman's attention, but he got to play with her stuff as well? Not fair! Thatch wanted to fly over and play with the things she had brought with her to! The only thing stopping him from doing so was Curiel, who was sitting on him. He smelled so horrible! Reminder to tell Jozu that he should throw the werewolf into the lake for a bath sometime soon. Marco was perched on a branch, watching the woman and their youngest brother enjoying themselves for the time being. The phoenix was lost in thought before deciding it was time to reveal themselves. They would have to do so slowly or risk startling Ann so badly that she would think she needed to protect herself.

So, the phoenix sent Thatch out first. The now bird of paradise strutted out towards the two after being released from under Curiel. Thank the stars for Marco! Annabell had seen him and raised an eyebrow. Haruta giggled.

"Thatch! Stop being weird!" Haruta couldn't control himself and it made Annabell a little worried. Though, when she heard the name, she snapped her head towards the bird.

"So I was right! Are you the one who told him that cameras steal souls? Why would you tell him such a pathetic wive's tale?!" Ann huffed at the bird. Thatch seemed to shy away before he shifted to his usual human form.

"It's not my fault! I saw someone get their soul stolen once! It was from a camera...or was it from being stabbed?" He shrugged causing Ann to facepalm. Haruta settled down and pouted that Thatch had even come out of hiding. The smaller brunette liked having all of Annabell's attention to himself. "Besides! You're lucky I even came out of hiding and actually revealed my handsome self!" Thatch huffed and went to fix his pompadour.

Ann snorted. "Are you sure you're handsome? Your hairstyle is ridiculous. I wouldn't call that handsome. You were prettier as a bird." Ann just wanted to take the man's ego down a notch. What was wrong with that? He seemed to have a pretty big one after all. Though, as soon as Thatch heard his hair looked ridiculous, he looked as if he had been stabbed through the heart.

"My hair isn't ridiculous! Your hat is more ridiculous than my hair!" he screeched.

Annabell growled. "It is not! My brother's thought it fit my personality and got it for me! I actually like it, grow the hell up!" she was such a hypocrite.

Marco saw this as a point to intervene before it got really nasty. Though, he didn't expect Curiel to charge out of the bush and try to bite the raven haired woman. That is where it turned into a disaster. Curiel had snarled and tried to go for Ann's face only to get a large knife's handle to the face.

"You! You're the same fucker who tried to eat my brother's for dinner when I was ten! You want to really try that again? Remember who won the fight last time?!" Ann was not happy and was ready to defend herself if the wolf charged her again, but Marco had really intervened this time. He flew out and in front of Ann, making himself extremely large and spreading his wings so Curiel could not get to her. He let out a screech of anger and Curiel seemed to lower himself in submission.

Haruta frowned, if Thatch hadn't come out to strut his stuff, things would be a lot different. So, he tried to get Ann's attention back to him. "Anna! My leg is hurting again!" he whined. Of course, that changed Annabell's mood and she immediately cuddled the boy and asked him quite a few questions before making him take a painkiller.

Marco settled down after he knew Curiel would not try and harm the woman again. Once he unruffled his feathers he hopped over and jumped up on Ann's shoulder, surprising the woman with his sudden weight and causing her to topple over onto her back. Once he had her like that, he transformed to his own human form and pinned her underneath him, hands above her head.

"Do not hit anyone from our family, ever again. The consequences could become severe if you do." He hissed in warning. "As for Curiel, or as you know him, the big bad wolf. I will deal with him. Just never hit him again." Once the blonde was done conveying the warning, he got off of her and went to grab Curiel by the scruff of his neck before he transformed. That didn't mean he hadn't pissed Annabell off though.

Marco honestly hadn't expected to be suddenly rushed by the girl, picked up, and to have his head hit the ground. How strong was this girl?! She just picked up a man who weighed more than her, bent backwards and dropped him on his head! Not to mention that she had done so to the phoenix of all creatures! Now he wondered if she could pick up Jozu! The diamond golem was even bigger and heavier than him! It took a few minutes for the blue and gold bird to recover and then catch the woman's hand before she could punch him in the face. He would not be caught off guard like that again.

The fight continued. Thatch, Haruta, and Curiel just watched. They had never seen anyone who could fight at the same level as their first commander. Needless to say it was very interesting to watch. Each one would exchange a blow and the other would block it. It wasn't until Annabell had suddenly fallen asleep during the fight that it ended. The phoenix and the woman had fought for nearly three hours straight. This was unusual to say the least. Marco hadn't hit Ann once he realized she'd fallen asleep. Instead, he was confused. How could one simply fall asleep during the middle of a fight, yet fight like they were fighting for their life?

Thatch finally broke the silence. "So, who won?"

Marco blinked. "I guess me, she's asleep….though, still standing." They were all so confused.

Haruta finally piped up. "Oh! I remember her telling me about this! It has to do with the pill bottle in her bag! It's apparently caffeine pills she takes to battle this situation. She falls asleep randomly, but mainly while she's eating!"

Curiel sighed. "It's what the humans call narcolepsy." he said gruffly.

Now this was just entertaining. No one in the family besides Curiel really knew much about the human terms for things or well, medical terms, because they didn't get too close to the villages. Plus, this was the first time they had met anyone like this. It was getting dark so Marco just picked Annabell up bridal style and they all just went home. Annabell was left to sleep in a soft moss bed Marco had made for her and had a bear skin blanket put over her. The phoenix would be perched in the tree above her for the rest of the night.


	6. Chapter 6

" **I MISSED DINNER!"** was what everyone woke up to. Marco even fell out of the tree he was perched from being so startled. Well, this was just something he'd have to remember about the woman. Never let her miss a meal or she'll freak out over it. Whitebeard was still sleeping, lucky giant rarely woke up on a warm morning, even if someone flipped out. Well, there goes a peaceful morning.

Marco hopped over to Ann before transforming and covering her mouth. "So damn noisy in the morning…." he sighed. Once Annabell seemed to calm down, she finally looked up at him. Contemplating on what to do or say next. Marco looked tired and a little sluggish today. Then again, who wouldn't be? Ann had woke everyone up at the butt crack of dawn.

So, to make Marco let go of her, she licked his hand. Marco seemed slightly disgusted by this action and immediately removed his hand. This woman acted more like a boy than a girl. Then again, if the stories about her were true, she grew up on the mountain since she had been small. He'd have to ask about that later.

"What do you think you're doing touching me like that? Are you some sort of pervert? Haruta told me you might be one, or was that Thatch, maybe it was both of you." Ann shrugged. "Where am I anyways? Who made this bed?" She was full of questions this morning, causing Marco to groan inwardly.

"I'm touching you because you practically woke everyone up, I'm not a pervert, Thatch is though, you're in our home, and I made the bed for you. You fell asleep during our fight and Thatch, Haruta, Curiel, and I did not want to wake you. So, please be a bit more quiet until it is actually time for everyone to wake up, Thatch is cooking for you right this moment. You won't miss breakfast. You do realize you probably won't be allowed to return home since you have seen this place, right?" The blonde explained nonchalantly.

"What? You're joking, right? I have to go back home and help my grandfather take care of my brothers! You can't hold me hostage hear!" That last bit of information really upset Annabell. She told her grandfather she'd be home in two months and she only had one month left to be out here before they came searching for her or pronounced her dead. If anything happened to Luffy or Sabo, she'd blame herself.

Marco watched the woman start to internally flip her shit. This probably wasn't a good sign for anyone in the family, seeing as she was already very easy to provoke. He'd have to talk to Whitebeard as soon as the giant woke up. At this rate, the phoenix had a feeling that they were all in for a very nasty surprise if Annabell became ill-tempered. That could really cause fighting to outbreak and no one would trust humans again. They weren't the only ones in for a surprise, if Annabell returned home, she would be in for a very big one.

For now, Marco needed to calm Ann. "I'll see what I can do for you to get you home, but it'll have to be once Pops wakes up. Unfortunately, you have discovered something that was supposed to stay a secret ever since Marshall D. Teach arrived here and took Thatch. Not everyone trusts humans now because Thatch could have easily been killed, that man had anger issues." he sighed. "If you need anything, just ask for Haruta, Thatch, or me. For now, it'll just be us three to help you out here until the rest get used to you. Please don't start any fights." The blonde male stood and helped her up. "Now, I did mention that Thatch would probably be making you breakfast after your outburst, so let's go check on that."

Annabell didn't seem to calm down any. How could she? She was in a hidden valley, full of mythical creatures, that were **men**. She hadn't seen any females so far, so it made the freckled woman feel very unsafe. Haruta though seemed fine to her, he was a unicorn and he did seem childish to her. So he was ok until he gave her a reason to think he wasn't ok. Marco, she had mixed feeling about him. He seemed nice and then he seemed threatening as well. As for Thatch, he was just plain weird, but she'd take Marco's advice about the man being perverted. He just better be a good cook or so help her, she'd find out how she managed to magically set things on fire and that pompadour of his would burn. Then again, that brought questions to her mind.

Ann knew nothing about her parents besides the fact that her father was a world renowned pirate that the marines hated, which is why her grandfather held her parent's identity from the marines at all cost, and her mother had been the most beautiful woman in the village until she died from giving birth to Annabell. Thinking about it sort of made the raven haired girl sad because she didn't exactly know what parents were like. Well, Dadan had sort of seemed like a mom, but the 'daycare' she provided for Ann, Sabo, and Luffy had been horrible. Needless to say, it's the reason that the three siblings went and lived in a treehouse on the mountain for a few years. Maybe it was time to ask Garp about her parents, but she doubted he would tell her anything.

Marco had noticed how Ann's mood seemed to change suddenly. The woman he was guiding around his home seemed a little depressed. Maybe Haruta could get her to open up more, the unicorn seemed to be good at that. Some family members thought Marco was good at it as well, but he didn't know how he was. He stopped and looked at Annabell for a few seconds. "What is your name, by the way? Haruta never said anything about you besides you having pills to keep you awake and that you were extremely nice."

"Portgas D. Annabell is my name. My brothers just call me Ann, Anna, or Anniebell." she shrugged. "I don't care what you call me as long as it's some form of my name."

Well, at least Marco had seemed to somewhat snap her out of her depression. "Alright, Ann. Well, I'm pretty sure you already know Thatch and Haruta, I'm also pretty sure Haruta has told you about me, but my name is Marco-"

"The turkey!" Thatch had suddenly appeared and chuckled, having to dodge a kick from Marco. Thatch's number one goal in the morning was to piss the blue chicken off.

Marco huffed. "Thatch is a nut case and you can probably guess why he gives me such childish nicknames. I hope you've made our guest breakfast, or so help me I will kick your ass to the moon so hard, you'll have my sandal stuck up your anus."

Annabell found this funny to watch the brothers exchange brotherly banter back and forth. They were way different from her own brothers. Maybe staying here for a bit longer wouldn't hurt or maybe just staying forever. The two brothers looked over at her once she started laughing at them and Marco faintly turned red from embarrassment. What the hell was wrong with him? He normally didn't let his emotions show. Then this girl showed up and bam, he's just spilling emotions everywhere! Thatch didn't help with his teasing either.

Thatch gave Marco a light shove and ran off. That light shoved caused Marco to lose his balance and topple over onto Ann. Annabell had squeaked once the blonde fell on her. Well, this became awkward once again. Marco had found the squeak adorable, but now the two were so close together and he could feel the smaller body pressed against his. Their faces were even close and the phoenix had the right mind to kiss her. Marco snapped out of his trance and quickly got up, helping her up. "I'm sorry, Thatch gets to the point that he likes to prank people, occasionally. Our true prankster is normally sweet little Haruta." he suddenly started rambling.

Ann couldn't believe that she had been knocked over again. More importantly, she couldn't believe it was the handsome blonde again. Wait, handsome? When did she decide he was handsome? Though, if they kept like this, she was sure one of them would lose control sooner or later. She felt like he was going to kiss her, but once he suddenly got up and pulled her up, Anna felt like her heart was going to beat out of her chest.

As the two walked together once more, they stayed quiet. Their hearts seemed like they would fly out of their bodies at any minute. One thing was for sure though, they did have feelings for each other, but were too stubborn to admit them.

Author's note:

Tomorrow may be chapter 7, now after tomorrow I do have **semester tests on Thursday and Friday** and then I'm on **Christmas break until January 4th**. I can not guarantee there will be more chapters unless Aergias really gets on my rear end and tells me to get more done. We'll see how it goes because this Christmas doesn't seem like fun, I'll be chillin at home with all my cats, a rabbit, and a degu. So, **enjoy** this chapter and **your day!**


	7. Chapter 7

Ok, so. I kind of lied on the whole 'I'll get another chapter out tomorrow' thing. I had my head focused on my semester tests. School has to come before this, sadly. Luckily, I'm on my second semester of senior year in High School. So come May 20th, I'll be done with my high school career. I can't guarantee I won't be lazy as shit after that, though. Christmas vacation has been hell, and I may just have a new chapter idea. You'll know if it was a good idea by how long this chapter actually is.

"You know I can't promise you my granddaughter without her being her." an old marine growled.

"Oh, but on the contrary, seeing as your grandson's have left you and you are becoming poor, you'll have to, old man. I doubt your granddaughter could even come back off that mountain and ready to take care of you!" the younger smirked.

"I can't just place Annabell into an arranged marriage that I know she'll be unhappy in. I don't care if I am going broke, Akainu. My answer is no. I will not sign any documents on an arranged marriage just so you can brag about having the most beautiful wife in this damn town!" Garp grumbled. "Now get out of my house."

Akainu glared at the old man, obviously pissed at the old man's stubbornness. "Then I'm taking your house and everything from you, starting the week after your granddaughter is due back. If she is not home by then, then good luck finding someone to live with." with that, Akainu got up and left.

This was bad. Garp hadn't expected to suddenly stop receiving money from his job. He was a veteran! How could they do this? Well, maybe he needed to get back to it and come out of retirement to work again. So, he started searching for a job. Luffy and Sabo had been outside, of course, having returned to see their old man, only to hear the ridiculous proposal. The two looked at each other and nodded. Luffy would stay there with Gramps and Sabo would head out to look for their older sister.

So far, Ann was being held captive, or so it seemed. She had learned that all the creatures in the valley had amazing healing abilities. Marco received top prize for being the fastest though. Haruta, had managed to recover in three weeks from his broken leg. Everyone else in the family was slowly warming up to Annabell, but the ones that hung around her the most were Thatch, Izo, Haruta, and Marco (when he didn't have to take a look around the forest for lost travelers or go hunting.)

Since Haruta had recovered and Ann was not allowed out of the valley without two of the boys with her, she often actually rode on Haruta's back and Thatch just shifted into his bird of paradise form to hitchhike on Anna's shoulder. Annabell didn't try to run away, she actually preferred to go out with at least two of them and see all the different sights they could show her. It was absolutely perfect. Except for the time they'd almost been eaten by a bear and Curiel and Vista had to rescue them or the time when Annabell and Haruta had fallen down a cliff and onto a ledge below because they had stood on a crumbling part of a cliff after Izo had told them not to go past a certain line. Kingdew and Blenheim had to rescue them. They could always guarantee that someone would have to go rescue Haruta and Ann each time they went on an outing. So the two became known as the trouble making duo quite quickly.

Of course, Whitebeard found all the stories quite hilarious. Though, they all knew Ann would have to return soon, no one was looking forward to it. Ann was getting worried about her family though. She wanted to go back and check on them at least. Haruta had already agreed that when the time came, he'd take her back down there since he was the easiest to hide. He could always hide his horn and just look like a regular horse. So, it had been decided, once Anna needed to go home, they'd allow Haruta and her a few weeks to come up with an excuse of why Haruta had disappeared. For now, they just continued to grow closer with Annabell. Whitebeard had even started calling her his daughter and Ann had grown to like him as a father figure and so far would call him Pops when she wanted his attention.


	8. Chapter 8

Ok, so I have Ideas, this has a plot, but how does one write (or in this case, type) a chapter after Accounting class? It doesn't help that my Study Hall is right after Accounting, Accounting is now the most irritating class this semester, but I can't drop it sadly. I have no other classes during that hour to take because I've already taken just about every elective that I can and there are no study halls offered that hour.

I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get another chapter updated, I've been at a lost for ideas and ways to make the chapters a bit longer and more entertaining for everyone.

"Pops! Tell them I don't need anyone accompanying me outside at this point! I'm not going anywhere for a few more days and I'd like to go bathe by myself!" Annabell huffed.

Curiel rolled his eyes. "She needs supervision! How do we know that she won't use that time to escape? What if she does and tells the village and then we're all hunted down?!" Curiel was a stubborn man to deal with. He still didn't really trust the woman, he was nice to her and was getting used to her, but he was still convinced she would be like Teach.

Pops sighed. "Annabell, how about you go out with Marco and while he hunts, you can go bathe. That way, Curiel doesn't complain and if you do as he says Marco can hunt you down easier than any of the others."

Ann groaned. "Fine! If the damn perverted turkey comes back with a black eye, then you know why!" The young woman went to find the blonde male, not happy with the fact that she still basically had to have her every move watched! She was not going to expose them, the reason she had come up here was to prove to herself that it did exist and wasn't just a fairy tale.

Marco had been trying to get away from Thatch for quite some time. So when Annabell found him and drug him away by his ear, he was silently thanking the gods. He didn't catch what the woman had first said besides the part where she had mentioned he had to follow her out of the small village they had so she could bathe. The phoenix had started wondering if he was supposed to watch Ann to make sure she doesn't runaway. Then again, that could be dangerous and make the younger woman hate him. Marco did not want that.

Thatch and Haruta tried to come along, but Annabell practically hissed at the two and told them to stay there. The unhappy woman had grabbed her bag and hat and left with the blue chicken. The mythological bird was still quite confused with Ann's behavior. "Annabell, why do I need to come with you again?" he softly asked.

"You are supposed to come with me so you can make sure I don't escape. Go hunt for food while I bathe. You're not going to stand around like a peeping tom." she grumbled. Marco nodded and took off, leaving her to go find the waterfall and lake. Ann had made quick work of stripping and jumping into the lake. The young female swam under the waterfall and found a rock to sit on. She took long enough for Marco to catch three deer, two squirrels, and a turtle. Marco got yelled at when he caught the turtle because he had caught it by the waterfall. He'd also caught a glimpse of a naked Annabell.

Annabell got done bathing and was drying off when she heard the fluttering of wings. She had been just about to turn around and punch whoever it was when she felt an arm around her midsection and a hand clamp over her mouth. It was Marco, he'd returned from hunting and getting all the animals back to camp, but there was something off about what he was doing.

"Shut up and be quiet." he hissed in her ear. Marco had spotted a blonde male on a horse coming up the mountain. He hadn't heard the name the man had been shouting, but he definitely wasn't about to let Annabell be taken away. Marco listened for a few seconds, before his eyes dilated. "Who is looking for you, Annabell?" he growled suddenly.

Annabell was confused for a bit. She was quiet and was listening until she picked up on Sabo's voice calling her name. Why was Sabo up in the mountains? He was supposed to be staying with Gigi, why was he looking for her? Ann bit Marco's hand to make him let go of her before rushing to get dressed. The female then bolted towards Sabo's voice. "Sabo!" she yelled back.

Marco was surprised he'd been bit, immediately letting go of the woman he was holding. His face went red once he realized he'd been holding her while she was still unclothed. Though, he snapped out of his stupor once she bolted off calling out someone's name. Was that the blonde male's name? Was she Sabo's wife or fiance? Ann didn't have an engagement ring or wedding ring on her ring finger. This confused the phoenix.

The blue bird soon transformed and chased after Annabell. Realizing she might be trying to escape, he had to catch her. He was too late. She was near the other blonde male and he was off his horse. Maybe Marco could kill him? No, that would upset Ann. He decided to sit in a branch above them, watching the two hug.

"Little brother, what are you doing here?! You're supposed to be at home taking care of Gigi!" Annabell was practically in tears at seeing her brother. She was so happy to be able to see her brother. "How's Luffy and Grandpa? How are you? What's wrong?"

Sabo sighed. "Calm down, big sister. Luffy and Grandpa are fine and so am I. Listen, Annabell, you can't come home! Don't come home! Luffy and I will find a way to support Gigi, just do **NOT** come home!" the taller blonde male could not stress enough the situation he'd overheard. "I'll bring you your stuff, just please heed my warning!"


	9. Chapter 9

Annabell looked stressed out. Why couldn't she come home? "Sabo, why shouldn't I come home? What's wrong?! What are you hiding from me?" She looked worried. "Maybe I need to come home now. Something is wrong, you always act like this when something has gone wrong to try and keep me away from it."

Sabo shook his head. "I don't want you coming home. You'll hear of the situation and think you have to agree to the terms and go through with it just to protect us! I'm not letting that happen this time, I'm protecting you this time around, Annabell. Wherever you've been staying, just keep staying there!"

Marco had been listening the whole time. He was relieved that Sabo wasn't Annabell's fiance or husband, but wait, she had two younger brothers and a grandfather that she lived with. What had happened to her parents? He wouldn't ask about it unless she told him willingly. Though, why was Sabo telling her not to go home? Her trip would be over in just two more weeks. What was wrong in that village?

Sabo shook his head and got back on his horse. "Ann, please do not come home. I'll figure something out, I promise." he told her softly, leaning down and giving her a hug. "This is goodbye for now." he told her softly and then left.

Annabell had tried to cling to her brother. She wanted so badly to go back and solve the situation that led to their predicament. The older sister couldn't do much if her younger brother was so dead set on her not returning home. It put Ann in a depressed state. She didn't know what to. The young female dropped to her knees and began to cry. She'd run from Marco, so there went the trust the family had given her and now she couldn't go home to help her family. It was because of her bloodlines, it had to be! If she had never been born into this world then she wouldn't have to worry about her brothers and grandfather not being able to get by or the marines cutting Garp's pay.

Marco watched Annabell start falling apart. His heart hurt from watching the young female look so devastated. He flew down and landed in front of her, the phoenix did not transform to his human form, instead he just wrapped his wings around her and tried comforting her by cooing softly.

Ann had wrapped her arms around Marco and cried until she had basically fallen asleep. Once she was asleep, Marco took the liberty of transforming once more for the day and carried Annabell back to the secret valley. When Haruta, Thatch, and Izo saw Marco carrying Annabell, their senses automatically took a turn towards, Marco did something to her and killed her. The three were suddenly extremely upset with the phoenix and were about to say something until they were silenced by Marco. The blue bird set Ann in her bed and sat with her until she seemed to be okay. He tried cleaning the tears away as best as he could.

Once Marco decided it was ok for him to leave Ann's side, he went and found the three that seemed to be upset with him. "First off, no one is to ask her anything about what happened today. She saw one of her brothers today and he told her to not come home. Something is wrong in that little village and it's affecting her family. Annabell is at a loss of what to do. It seems like she always solves the problems that arises for her family. Thatch, go visit your girlfriend at the bar and see what you can find out. Haruta disguise yourself as a regular horse and see if you can be caught by a marine. Izo, stay with Annabell. I'm going to go see if I can't find where her family lives." he ordered.

Thatch had taken off immediately after being given orders. Marco left with a worried Haruta and explained to him that Ann needed him. Then Haruta felt like he could do this and went to prance in front of the marine headquarters. One of the officers had quickly took notice and grabbed him. It was Coby and Helmeppo that took him to see a vet. He checked out nicely and they decided to use him as a training horse. On Marco's end, he simply stayed in his human form and wandered the town, having found Sabo and followed him. Of course, Sabo wasn't stupid, he knew Marco was following him.

Thatch had found out why Ann's brother didn't want her coming home, he'd flown back to wait for Marco, of course, it was after Thatch had some fun with his girlfriend. Haruta had found out what the marines actually wanted with Annabell and jumped a fence once he was turned out. He had disappeared before any of the marines could catch him. As for Marco, he had gotten in a fight against Sabo. The phoenix wasn't going to hurt Sabo, but Sabo wanted to hurt Marco.

"What the hell do you know about my family?! You're just stranger!" Sabo snarled at Marco.

Marco frowned at Sabo. "In a way, I guess you could say I'm your sister's lover. She sent me to check out if it was safe for her to come home. You don't actually think she'd listen to you and stay away, do you?" he questioned.

Sabo didn't trust Marco. "I doubt my sister would take someone like you as her lover! She's the most beautiful girl in this village and she hasn't settled with anyone! You're just another stupid bastard looking to claim her so you have bragging rights! That or you're working for Akainu so that bastard can marry her and kill her!" he growled.

That was all Marco needed. He transformed and left. This stunned Sabo and he watched the phoenix fly off. Had Annabell found the place in the fairy tale? Sabo had to go home and tell Garp and Luffy. They would be surprised to hear about this for sure!


	10. Chapter 10

"Hey, Chrysanthemum." the shapeshifter smirked at the barmaid. His barmaid was just slightly shorter than him in the two inch heels she wore, her hair tied up in a blonde bun, and carrying a 32DD rack. Honestly, Thatch was just plain perverse when it came to the sweet and cheery woman.

"Hello, Thatchy~!" she practically sang. "What brings you here this time? Our next date night isn't for a few more days." the woman was a little confused, but happy to see him. She worked a bit more quickly in order to finish up her work for the day. The blonde had sensed an air of importance radiating off her lover when he came in.

Thatch hummed. "I know, but I need some information and you talk to quite a lot of people who enter this bar. I was wondering if we could talk in a little more privacy, the matter is quite urgent."

"I understand, let me finish with these last few tables and we can go to my house." She smiled at the shapeshifter. Once the tables were done, she changed out of her work clothes in the changing room and followed her lover out. Once they were in a secluded area that was leading to her home, Thatch nonchalantly groped the female. Chrys had slapped at his hands and looked at the man, who in turn looked away and whistled. Chrysanthemum rolled her eyes at this.

The two reached Chrys' home and entered, making sure all windows were closed and locked and the doors. Thatch sat down on the couch and Chrys sat in a chair across from him. "So, what type of information do you need?"

"What can you tell me about a girl named Annabell?" Thatch got straight to the point. He fixed his eyes on Chrys.

"Well, Annabell is the prettiest girl in town. Practically every man wants to be her husband, but Ann is not stupid and turns everyone of them down. The marines want her dead simply because of her father, Gol D. Roger. He was a fearsome pirate not to be messed with and once he was killed, the marines didn't want any of his blood to remain living. Her mother, no one knows where she came from or who she was. She died while giving birth to Ann." She sighed. "Why do you want to know this? Are you leaving me, Thatchy?"

"I'm not leaving you. It's just that one of my brothers has fallen for her and we have been keeping her with us. Apparently her family does not want her returning home, do you know why?" Thatch was thinking of many reasons, but couldn't settle on one.

"Marine admiral Akainu has stopped paying a veteran, Ann's grandfather, and will only pay him if the old man agrees to give Annabell's hand in marriage to Akainu. Of course, the real reason for this is so the marines can make her death look like an accident." Chrysanthemum became uneasy. "Don't tell me you and your family are about to do something reckless, Thatch."

"We aren't. Not until we come up with a plan." Thatch reassured the younger woman. "Thank you for your time today, Chrys. Sorry if I accidentally upset you." he stood up, walked over to her and kissed her. He left immediately after.

Back home, when Thatch, Haruta, and Marco met up, they shared what they had learned, Thatch being the one with the most information. Upon trying to ask Annabell who her parents were, she became distant and angry. Izo soon shooed the three away and comforted the young woman. So, the next best thing was to ask Pops if he knew anything of the infamous pirate.

Pops had known Annabell was Roger's daughter. She looked too much like him to not be. Pops explained the lengthy story of Roger and the middle initial of D. Once his sons seemed satisfied, they left and began to make a plan. First, Marco went to see Annabell.

Anna was still upset with him for pressing so much about her family, she was also still pissed about him seeing her nude and touching her when she had yet to put clothes on after bathing. It caused her to glare at Marco when he came to see her, but Izo had left the two of them alone.

"What do you want now?" she huffed.

Marco sat down in front of the woman. "I went and saw your brother today to find out why you can't go home. Haruta went to the marine base and Thatch went to gather intel from a bar." he slowly told her.

Ann took a few minutes to process this information. "Sabo wouldn't give out information to just anyone. Not unless he got frustrated. What did you do to my little brother?" she growled.

Marco sighed. "Don't get mad, but I sort of told him I was your lover and he flipped out on me. He basically called me trash and a marine scum that wanted you dead. He shut up pretty quick when I transformed though…."

Annabell's eyes widened. "Why would you tell him something like that?! What makes you think I'd date you? If you transformed in front of him then he knows that I found what I was looking for…" Ann had gotten up from where she'd been sitting. "I need to go home! I must see my grandfather!"

Marco quickly got up. "Then I'm going with you. Annabell, you are in danger. The marines want you dead and plan on getting you to marry the admiral by the name of Akainu so they can make your death seem like an accident!"

"I'm going alone!" Ann was quick to make her escape after that. Curiel had to hunt her down, but Ann was much quicker than they originally thought. It didn't help that going down the mountain helped with speeding her get away up.


	11. Chapter 11

Akainu had been waiting for Annabell to catch wind of what he had done to her family. He wanted her to come running home. The man would make sure to make her marry him and make sure she begged for forgiveness for even being brought into this world before he killed her. "So, she managed to find the mythical creatures...I guess we'll have her take us to them so we can kill them off as well. Right, Blackbeard?"

Blackbeard laughed. "Of course, I told you they existed when I was that woman's age. No one ever believed me because that shapeshifter was too smart for his own good. Now, if I can kill the giant that leads them, then we'll be all set to kill the rest easily. Besides the phoenix, everyone else will be easy to kill. We already had the unicorn here."

Akainu seemed curious now. "Really now? Would it have happened to be that stallion that managed to run away from officer Helmeppo?"

"Indeed, that was Haruta." Blackbeard grumbled. "He's tricky to deal with. He may still be a child at mind, but he's quite nimble on his feet. He isn't the torture captain for anything."

"Not very surprising, a unicorn is a mythological creature who would murder any woman if they were not a virgin. From what I've heard at least, they can be sweet, but deadly to the extremes." Akainu grumbled. "You know, my mother was killed by one of those beasts. So to make their existence cease would be great."

Blackbeard nodded in agreement. "Watch it, because they will make a fool out of you if they can."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Over with Sabo, Luffy, and Garp~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sabo was panting when he had gotten home. "You won't believe it! The mythical phoenix that carries people down from the mountain when they faint, I just saw it!" he ranted quickly. "He claimed that he was Annabell's lover! You think that it could be true?!"

Luffy blinked. "What? Sabo, you just spoke an entire language that I don't understand…" he grumbled.

Garp sighed. "Great, now your sister has you believing in this children's crap too…" The old man was not in good health, especially after the marines had cut him off. He needed Ann to come home so they could figure out a plan. Maybe move to a different island at this rate. He knew Annabell wouldn't be too pleased, but there was nothing else he could do to save his only granddaughter.

Sabo shook his head. "No! I bet if anything, Annabell is coming up with a plan right now with that pineapple headed bird! Listen, if she comes back and it turns out that the phoenix is loaded, she won't have to marry Akainu!" he screeched.

Garp sighed. "All right, fine. If this phoenix does exist, then I want to meet him and see how Annabell acts around him."

Luffy shrugged and went back to eating some meat he had cooked up. He wasn't sure what Sabo was conjuring up in his head.

What none of them expected was for Annabell to burst through the back door. She was panting and there was a wolf right behind her, snarling at them all. Sabo and Luffy moved to hurt the wild animal, but Annabell stood in front of it.

"You're not going to hurt him. Curiel is just an angry werewolf and needs to calm himself. He doesn't trust me very much and that's why he was chasing me, probably to drag me back to Marco…" she sighed.

Luffy went and immediately hugged his sister. "We get to have a pet?!"

"Luffy, I'm pretty sure if we even tried to keep him as a pet, he'd try to eat everyone alive." Ann groaned and hugged her youngest brother back.

Curiel would not transform in front of her family. So Garp was becoming skeptical of it all. "Ann! Quit filling your brothers head with fairy tails!" he roared.

Soon Marco was behind her as well. "What's so bad about us mythological creatures, sir? You do realize we have more riches than this town right?" he spoke out. Annabell had turned around and started jabbing her finger into his chest.

"I told you I was coming alone! I don't need you to babysit me! Get out of here and leave me alone!" she hissed. Ann was not happy with the phoenix. "I swear, if you don't start listening to me, I will cook you like the damn turkey you are!"

Marco chuckled. "I'm not a turkey though, I'm your lover."

"What?! You're still on about that?!" Ann squeaked.

"QUIET! You two are at it like an old married couple! I should know, I've been married to your youngest brother's grandmother long enough to know!" Garp griped. "If they are mythical creatures then I want to see them before my eyes!"

Ann looked at Marco. "You brought this upon yourself by telling my brother your mumbo jumbo crap and transforming before his eyes. You and Curiel might as well get in here and let me go through the house to lock the doors and cover the windows…"

Curiel came in the house and sat next to Marco. Ann and Sabo locked the doors and covered the windows with heavy blankets. Once that was done, they lit some candles. The family didn't have enough money to afford a house with electricity at the time they were small children with a middle aged grandfather. Curiel and Marco looked at each other and shifted. Soon the house was lit up by Marco's flames and Curiel was now nearly standing as tall as Garp. Marco had flown over to Ann's shoulder and perched on the woman. He nuzzled her and cooed.

Garp took a few minutes to respond to this, but he nodded. "Ann, you have my approval to marry him."

"WHY DO YOU GUYS KEEP ON WITH THIS STUFF?! REALLY, WE'RE NOT EVEN DATING!" Annabell screeched.

Curiel started laughing. The werewolf was laughing because he found this family and Marco's joke to be hilarious. As for Ann, she practically attacked Curiel for laughing, but it only caused him to laugh even more. Ann was actually really weak when she was flustered and not angered.

Annabell did secretly have a crush on Marco, but that was hard to admit. Marco felt the same way, but he was more to the point of being straightforward with his feelings. Ann seemed to be caught off guard with that, especially since he wasn't just planning to keep her around to have bragging rights and her be a trophy or something. The phoenix was actually sweet, he meant her no harm and only wanted to protect her. It shocked her even more when her grandfather seemed to approve of the phoenix.

A grim silence settled in the house soon after. Especially after her grandfather had had a really bad coughing fit. It made everyone realize, this was no time for them to be screwing around.


	12. Chapter 12

Annabell had set to what she did best around the house, and that was taking care of her family. She'd gotten her grandfather a glass of water and went to see if he still had some of his medicine. A bit disappointed when she saw he had none left. So, Ann went to her room and found some of the money she'd been saving to move away from this town.

"I'll be back, I'm going to get grandpa some medicine." she said quickly. Sabo followed after.

"Annabell, take someone with you! Akainu is after you, don't let him persuade you into thinking that marrying him is the only option!" Sabo seemed upset. He knew how his sister could get when she got hot-headed or her mind beat down. She could make some stupid or impulsive decisions right on the spot.

Marco had got up, frowning at this. "I'll go with."

Annabell hadn't objected to Marco coming along, she needed to talk to him anyways. The young woman walked off in a hurried manner, wanting to get the medicine refilled as quickly as possible. The phoenix walked closely behind her, acting like something else had his attention.

Soon, he realized he was walking into an alley with Ann and started to question this until he saw the female stop and turn to him.

"Honestly, what is going through your head with being so straightforward all of a sudden? You can't possibly be serious about wanting me as a wife!" Annabell hissed.

"I'm very serious though. I felt more of a bond when I first saw you. That's why I stayed perched in the tree you decided to sleep in the first night on the mountain." Marco drawled out.

"You did what?" Ann seemed shocked. "So it was you that I saw before I fell asleep! Are you some sort of creep? First you have a knack for watching me while I sleep and then hug me when I was trying to get dressed, next you have the audacity to claim that I'm your lover, and finally you have to be my babysitter?! What is wrong with you? Why are you toying with me?!" Ann had blown up finally.

Marco blinked and didn't show any sign of emotion besides his normal tired look. "Am I toying with you or are you toying with me Annabell? Honestly, if you have feelings for me, then why not give us a chance? There is nothing wrong with me wanting to protect you, especially since it's all instinct for me. Besides, I've had someone die in their sleep from getting too cold, it's stressful to sleep knowing you could die the same way up in the mountains. As for hugging you while you were getting dressed, I was going on instincts and listening to the forest, so I had felt the need to protect." he sighed and scratched his head.

Ann looked at the ground for a while. She didn't say anything more on the matter and turned to continue on to the medicinal vendor. Once she had gotten the medicine and paid for it, Ann led Marco back to her house. The young woman had been lost in thought for quite sometime. The female would have bumped into people if it hadn't been for the pineapple guiding her half the time by a simple touch to her shoulder.

Once home, Ann had Garp take his medicine, of course the usual grumbling from an upset old man was heard, but his granddaughter would have none of it. What hadn't been expected was the unwanted visit from Akainu. That seemed to upset the three siblings, their grandfather, and Curiel. Marco kept his calm and just sat next to Ann and Sabo. Curiel was sitting next to Garp, Luffy on his sister's lap, and Akainu in a lone chair away from everyone. The room had taken a dark and angry mood.

"So, Garp, I'm pretty sure your granddaughter knows of the situation. I want an answer to the proposition." Akainu said slowly, almost choosing his words carefully.

Garp let out a grumble of how Akainu couldn't just waltz into his house and threaten the family because he'd have his ass handed to him by the three siblings. Ann, Sabo, and Luffy were known to take up threats and shove it right back at the person who issued it. That was, until Ann spoke out.

"My answer to marrying you is no. I'm engaged to this blonde here and he has more to offer me than you will ever be able to. Do not come back to this house and please, leave my family alone. I do understand you are the admiral, but you are not the complete boss. If you do not start giving my grandfather his rights as a veteran, I will work my way up the ladder to get you fired. You have no say so on whether or not a veteran gets paid or not while they are still alive." Annabell had said simply told Akainu.

Everyone was quite surprised by her sudden burst of authority. Even more so when she said she was engaged to Marco. Marco was honestly satisfied with the way things turned out, but the feeling he got from Akainu, he knew this wasn't the last time they had seen him or heard from him. Curiel wanted to rip the man's face off from just one simple look at the werewolf's face. Akainu was more than what they were bargaining at.

The marine admiral sighed, he was honestly furious that the young woman even knew her way around his job. Must be from the fact Garp was an old naval officer himself and he did seem to try and get his grandchildren to be marines. Akainu thought carefully of his next words so he wouldn't get attacked.

"You're correct. I seem to have forgotten my place as the admiral and I shouldn't have held your grandfather's retirement pay from him. I'll make sure he gets what I've kept from him. Congratulations on getting engaged finally." with that, Akainu left to plot a new plan to get the female in his clutches so he could kill her and then do away with the mythical creatures.

- **Author's note** -

 **Poemado:** Thank you for the review! It's nice to know you are enjoying it so far. As for the reason you couldn't find it, I found out, it had actually not posted under the characters I had put it under. I now have that fixed. Also, I went to look at stories you wrote and found out that I have actually read your _home pain_. Honestly, I think you should continue it! I've been waiting for it to update for awhile. The reason I had yet to fav and follow it is because I hadn't actually had an account here until I started writing this fanfic.

 **Aergias:** Finish the story you have and get to work on your Sadi x Domino fanfic!


	13. Chapter 13

Sorry for being on a hiatus for so long! I didn't intentionally do it, I just kind of forgot about it until I got a few emails on my phone saying new people were following and favoriting it!

So this might be a short chapter until I can get back on a roll!

It also may be a pretty long one, who knows.

Lizziecats: Thanks for the review, I will try to get back to this. I did start this in highschool, but now that I am out and having to pay bills and work at Walmart with a wonky shift, I will try my hardest to come out with chapters more often when I have better ideas on how to go with this. I might add in a few tear jerkers, maybe.

Garp waited for Akainu to be gone completely out of sight from the window. Then he and Ann's brothers, mainly just Garp and Sabo, blew up.

"YOU'RE ENGAGED TO A CHICKEN?!" Sabo and Garp yelled.

Marco was unimpressed by this. Not only did Thatch call him a chicken, but now Ann's family as well? At least the youngest brother seemed a little smart. Oh, but how wrong he was.

It took Luffy about four hours to process the information before he screamed the word meat. Next thing Marco knew, Luffy was trying to eat him. Luckily, Ann had hooked her arm around her brother's neck and was able to stop him before the younger boy was able to launch himself at her now proclaimed fiance. This caused everyone in the house to sigh, besides Curiel.

Of course, Curiel did not like the idea that a mere /HUMAN/ would be marrying one of his brothers let alone the phoenix of the tribe of mythical creatures. This could truly throw their entire lives out of order! How would Whitebeard take the news, wait, he seemed pretty fond of Annabell, so of course the old giant would not care. In fact, Edward Newgate would be more than happy to accept Ann as his new daughter. The rest would not care so long as Ann kept their secret, Pops was okay with it, and Marco was happy with her for the rest of his life.

Annabell sighed. What was happening to this family and what had she gotten herself into? Major trouble was brewing and she knew it. Then again, trouble seemed to follow her everywhere, she was considered Satan's child, even if her grandfather said her father was truly the kindest pirate that had ever lived. Ann would have to find a way to get in touch with Shanks and Jinbei.

Marco was watching his fiance carefully. What was she up to? He didn't like whatever it was. The phoenix felt like she would make a disappearance of some sort and he wasn't about to let her go and get herself killed. The only thing was, the blond would never expect her to leave at dawn.

Once dinner was done, and everyone had gone to bed, Ann was letting Marco sleep in her bed with her, she'd have to get used to it at some point, he would be her husband in the future after all.

No one ever expected to find a letter on the table when they woke up. Ann's handwriting and her sincerest apologies. Marco had become alarmed at what was written in it, along with Garp. Luffy and Sabo on the other hand, felt like they needed to go as well, to help their sister.


End file.
